NEWARK — U.S. Attorneys fired the first volley this afternoon in the corruption trial of former Newark Deputy Mayor Ronald Salahuddin, and in their opening arguments in U.S. District Court in Trenton, describe a culture of corruption in the early days of Mayor Cory Booker's administration as seen through Salahuddin's eyes.

"In Newark everyone is cutting out their little niche," Salahuddin is alleged to have said in FBI surveillance recordings. "The demolition is what I'm interested in."

That was how Assistant U.S. Attorney Zahid Quraishi opened the case against Salahuddin and his alleged business partner, Sonnie Cooper, a Newark trucking contractor.

In describing audio and video tapes that the federal government plans to introduce into evidence, Salahuddin is accused of hatching a plot to steer demolition contracts that allegedly involved Salahuddin, Cooper, East Ward political boss Joseph Parlavecchio, contractor Nicholas Mazzocchi and Booker's former chief of staff Pablo Fonseca.

Only Salahuddin and Cooper are charged.

"You'll hear what Ronald Salahuddin and Sonnie Cooper were saying when they thought no one else was listening," Qurashi told the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen, federal authorities were listening."

Mazzocchi was wearing a wire for the FBI after being accused of bribing public officials himself. He was introduced to Salahuddin and Cooper, both charged with mutliple counts of extortion and bribery, by Parlavecchio, attorneys said.

Then, in exchange for political contributions and kickbacks, Salahuddin steered contracts to Mazzocchi and Cooper, prosecutors said.

Qurashi described numerous tapes filled with profanity, slurs and food metaphors that the U.S. Attorney's office will rely on to convict Salahuddin and Cooper of attempting to steer millions in demolition contracts to Cooper and Salahuddin.